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The Pub Test: The real state of the Australian economy

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My local watering hole, the Telegraph Hotel, Gunning NSW, 20 December 2024

Nobody has been this broke in generations

Labor’s machine is out in force this Christmas in a vain attempt to recover the electoral ground that is collapsing under its feet. My feed on X is replete with comments telling me how John Howard and Peter Costello taxed us more than Jimbo and then mostly squandered it. Peter Garrett is tweeting anti-nuclear sentiment, leftist think tanks are spruiking how good the economy is, and other lefties are blaming everything else on the RBA.

It’s a complete rot-fest of lies. Nobody has been this broke in generations. Just ask anyone at the pub.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall wrote:

And finally, Michael de Percy says that ‘nobody has been this broke in generations’. If you watch the modest Christmas shoppers, I think he’s right. ‘I made a joke(?) about how I am almost completely skint because all my spare cash is going to Albo. One of my neighbours replied grimly, ‘And if not him, one of his mates.’

My latest in The Spectator Australia, The Pub Test: The real state of the Australian economy.

We need a Plan B for our future energy needs

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Nuclear is a necessary part of our energy Plan B

We need a Plan B for our future energy needs
Dr Michael de Percy, a respected political scientist and political commentator, recently delivered an insightful presentation to the Crookwell Rotary Club and their invited guests. The topic of discussion was nuclear energy, a subject that has become increasingly pertinent in global and local energy debates. As a resident of Gunning in the Upper Lachlan Shire, Dr de Percy provided a unique perspective on the potential role of nuclear power in addressing energy security and climate challenges. His talk was well received, sparking engaging conversations among attendees about the future of energy production in Australia. A brief extract of his presentation follows.

Networked infrastructure like roads, telecommunications networks, and energy grids are peculiar beasts.

In Australia, vast distances mean the cost of deploying infrastructure often outweighs the market’s ability to make a decent return on investment.

For much of Australia’s history, government has owned and operated transport, telecommunications, and energy systems to ensure these important services were delivered to citizens.

To keep costs down, governments adopted a market dominance and cost recovery model. This model prevented alternative systems from developing so the private sector wasn’t competing with the government.

The approach enabled relatively sound transport, telecommunications, and energy systems to operate during the last century. But technological convergence has created problems for Australia when it comes to cross-platform competition in services such as rail, communications, and energy. 

Once a particular technology is selected by government, resources are committed, and institutions are established to support the original policy decision.

History proves that time and again Australian policymakers have made decisions that seemed logical at the time, only to create major headaches in the future once technologies evolved.

These decisions often neglected the political issues that arose over the long time periods associated with the deployment of infrastructure.

Wireless telegraphy, FM radio, Australia’s rail network, the National Broadband Network, and more recently, renewables energy systems, are cases in point.

Nuclear energy is emerging as another technology that Australia has neglected. All indications internationally suggest that we will not achieve our emissions reduction targets nor provide sufficient energy for our future needs without nuclear.

The challenges to nuclear energy in Australia are inherently political. Labor’s antinuclear narrative stems from the role of the McClelland Royal Commission into British Nuclear Testing (which was designed to ignore Labor’s postwar role in allowing the nuclear tests) and reinforced by the Howard Government’s prohibition of nuclear in 1998 to enable the new OPAL reactor at Lucas Heights.

However, the absence of a Plan B for Australia's energy needs, and the results of renewables-only strategies internationally, mean that Australia’s energy future is particularly bleak.

The current renewables-only policy is failing rapidly, costing more, taking longer, facing community opposition, and it is unlikely to meet our future energy needs.

Following Australia’s historical pattern of infrastructure deployment, we have committed ourselves to one path that will have future ramifications.

Ignoring nuclear at this stage means we have no Plan B, and once we’ve blown our dough on the current policy, there will be hard times ahead to fix yet another infrastructure problem of our own making.

My article in the Upper Lachlan Gazette, Issue 171, 18 December 2024



A Very Arabian Christmas: Stolen cars, flying princesses, and the Russian Mafia

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Desert Mosque. South of the Dead Sea along the King's Highway, Jordan, 2009. 

Part 2 of A very Arabian Christmas continues to do for Speccie Christmas articles what Die Hard did for Christmas movies. It was all downhill from here. You can read Part 1 here.

Years after getting married in Jordan, I had the opportunity to spend a sabbatical there. The plan was to stay at my in-laws and work with a university in Amman. I have some longtime friends and colleagues there, and I have nothing but fond memories of Jordan. But in the midst of a less than cordial relationship, rather than claim aggrieved status here, I will try to make the most of a rough patch that included stolen cars, flying princesses, and late-night wreck dives in the Red Sea during a storm with the Russian mafia added for good measure.

In the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes wrote:

Today, we give you both part 1 and part 2 of Michael de Percy’s unusual Christmas traveller’s tales in Jordan. Although he may be a cloistered academic, Dr de Percy’s life has certainly been interesting! One crowded hour, and all that…

My latest in The Spectator Australia, A Very Arabian Christmas: Stolen cars, flying princesses, and the Russian Mafia.

A very Arabian Christmas: What the hell was I thinking?

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The Monastery at Petra. I think it is better than the Treasury of Indiana Jones fame [2009 by Author]

Our online editor, Alexandra Marshall, has an excellent piece in the Christmas bumper edition of The Spectator Australia entitled Travels with my Brother. Alexandra’s article reminded me of the rhythm in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. It also made me think back to two Christmases I spent in the Middle East. I mentioned one New Year’s Eve I spent in a Russian Mafia nightclub in Aqaba, and Alexandra thought it sounded like the start of an interesting article. So here is the result: Part 1 of A Very Arabian Christmas that does for Speccie Christmas articles what Die Hard did for Christmas movies. Part 2 is all downhill from here. But read Alexandra’s article first, it’s brilliant!

I was married in Amman. It’s this whole other story that is no doubt entertaining for others but makes me wonder, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ Let’s just say I wasn’t. But let us also say that ‘third time lucky’ is an evil lie!

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

This morning, when posting the articles for the day, I discovered that fellow writer Michael de Percy has crazier holidays than me. He has penned a travel piece worthy of Netflix – A very Arabian Christmas. ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ he asked. No idea, but it’s an entertaining read.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, A very Arabian Christmas: What the hell was I thinking?

What’s happening in Korea?

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Korea's National Assembly, 28 September 2022 [Source: Author]

On December 3, President Yoon declared martial law, with pundits hinting at a return to Korea’s bad old days of military control before it adopted democracy in 1987. The June Uprising forced the military regime to hold elections and introduce democratic reforms. This led to the creation of the Sixth Republic which still exists today.

The simple fact is that Korea’s democracy is not under threat, but working as it should.

Terry Barnes had this to say in the Morning Double Shot newsletter:
Michael de Percy seeks to explain the strange goings-on in South Korea, with the President calling martial law, the parliament voting it down, the President backing down, and the parliament failing to impeach him as it said it would. All we can add is that the president and a few others made some very poor Korea moves. 

My latest in The Spectator Australia, What’s happening in Korea?

Merry Christmas and the final episode of Spectator Australia TV for 2024

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A Merry Christmas with Donald Trump about to become leader of the Free World (aain)

In the final episode of Spectator Australia TV for 2024, I discuss the downfall of the French and Korean presidents, the restoration and reopening of Notre Dame, and a Merry Christmas with Donald Trump about to become leader of the free world (again) on ADH TV with Alexandra Marshall.

In the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

It’s interesting… In my last Spectator TV for the year, which will come out in a few hours, I asked each of our guests what the big political win of 2024 was and the answer was unanimous – Trump. The leader of the free world is not purely a military figure keeping an eye on global peace, they are a spiritual leader for the West. America sets the mood and the rest of our governments can either do an awkward dad dance or get with the groove. Albanese and Starmer will probably throw a tantrum and pull the plug out like that scene in Strictly Ballroom where Barry Fife goes for the cord.

My commentary in the final episode for 2024 is available below:

Dear Mr Dutton, we want something else (with love from Barcelona)

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Photo: Commonwealth of Australia CC BY 3.0 AU


From Barcelona: It’s hard to escape Australian politics when I see examples of inaction all over the Iberian Peninsula. The news media would have you believe that the area is a hotbed for socialist Wokeri but the reality is rather different. That same energy that built up in the US and delivered Donald Trump’s electoral knock-out victory is about to avalanche here. It’s in Australia, too, but pundits want to pussyfoot around instead of getting in the bullring.

Alexandra Marshall had this to say in the Unfiltered newsletter:

The chaos of these censorial bills reached as far as Barcelona. Shaking his head in resignation, Michael de Percy writes, ‘The height of stupidity is to be talking about legalising marijuana while banning social media for under sixteens.’

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Dear Mr Dutton, we want something else (with love from Barcelona).

From the bottom of the sea to the moon: Menzies and Australia’s communications golden age

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The OTC NASA Satellite Earth Station at Carnarvon, Western Australia


On Sunday 23rd November 2024, I delivered my presentation on Menzies and Australia's communications golden age at the Robert Menzies Institute's Annual Conference. Fittingly, I delivered my presentation online via Zoom from Madrid. The recording of my presentation and the slides are available below.

Abstract

For someone who merely ‘endured’ television, Robert Menzies played a major role in Australia’s communications golden age. Ironically, Menzies oversaw a scientific and technological revolution during his tenure as prime minister that endures. Australia was not only connected with the rest of the world by cables under the sea, but the nation played a major role in landing humans on the moon, a feat of exploration yet to be surpassed. To his critics, Menzies was a ‘pompous, anachronistic, forelock-tugging Establishment figure, who held back the tide of Australia’s potential and denied the country its independent greatness’. But the historical record demonstrates that Menzies was interested in new technologies such as his 1940s personal 16mm home movie camera, and he was eager to support the United States in its quest to win the ‘space race’. Menzies oversaw Australia’s golden age of communication which included the coaxial cable link between Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne, the COMPAC cable that provided a telephone link to Britain and the Commonwealth, and Australia’s membership of the International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium. Ultimately, Menzies’ legacy led to the launch of an Australian satellite from Woomera and helped save the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. Paul Keating, however, said that this period was ‘the golden age when Australia was injected with a near lethal dose of old-fogeyism by the conservative parties… when they put the country into neutral and where we gently ground to a halt in the nowhere land of the early 1980s’. Nothing could be further from the truth. The portrayal of Menzies (and the Coalition since) as ‘anti-science’ and ‘anti-future’ for political gain denies his rightful place in Australia’s advancement. This paper, then, traces Menzies role in the golden age of communications in Australia and his enduring legacy.

Slides

Madrid’s bullfighting triumphs over ‘eating ze bugs’

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Jose Tomas bullfighting in Barcelona


From Madrid: Madrid is better than Paris. That’s my advertising slogan for this great city. Instead of Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen should make a movie called Daylight in Madrid. Rather than showcasing Paris with the writer Hemingway, the bullfighter Belmonte, the artists Dali and Picasso, and the greatest filmmaker ever, Luis Buñuel, Woody Allen should showcase them all in Madrid where the world is real, and law and order keeps the dodgy people on their toes.

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

Our Foreign Correspondent of sorts, Michael de Percy, is in Madrid. This anti-Woke destination has a rich culture of bullfighting rather than bug-eating. ‘Creating fake meat in laboratories or eating locusts is somehow deemed to be morally superior. But not in Madrid where the creation and consumption of food is an art form of the highest order.’ I am starting to suspect that Michael is on a food tour of Europe...

Writing in the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes had this to say:

Michael de Percy sees much that is manly and romantic in a Madrid bullfight, while most Anglo-Saxons see it as a barbaric and sadistic practice, where bulls are tormented and killed for entertainment. While he and I can never agree on bullfighting as a ‘sport’, his point about true Spanish culture as not being for the woke is a valid one. We’d just make the additional point, though, that Spain’s best days are centuries behind her, because long ago the Spain of los conquistadores became soft and decadent by the 18th century. And the current Spanish socialist government is more akin to that decline than the rugged manly virtues that de Percy admires and extols.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Madrid’s bullfighting triumphs over ‘eating ze bugs’.

Portugal’s national identity is forged through individual bravery, not identity politics

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Bacalhau (salted cod) is Portugal's national dish and part of its seafaring identity

From Lisbon: Portugal, a seafaring nation, pioneered the Age of Discovery and the exploration of the New World. Synonymous with this period is the individual bravery of the early navigators who battled tough conditions to explore beyond the Pillars of Hercules and to cross the Atlantic. Until recently, Portugal forged a national identity through individual ruggedness in the cod fishing industry in the North Atlantic, and not through the identity politics that is part and parcel of the European Union (EU).

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

Speccie favourite Michael de Percy is on holiday in Portugal and has dropped a travel log for us about the state of identity politics in this part of the world with a proud and rich history. ‘Portugal is now another casualty of the EU and all the identity politics and economic hardships that entails…’

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Portugal’s national identity is forged through individual bravery, not identity politics.

Trump vs Albo the Unready, but what will Dutton do?

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Mr Dutton's support for censorship won't sit well with Mr Trump who campaigned for free speech

Donald Trump’s landslide election win is likely to give the Republicans a majority on every measure of electoral success with the House of Representatives only six members off a majority at the time of writing. Expecting the Democrats to win, the Albanese government failed to prepare for the Trump tsunami. The big question, however, is what will Mr Dutton do?

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Trump vs Albo the Unready, but what will Dutton do?

Trump’s win means we’ve narrowly avoided war

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President Donald Trump will be the 49th President of the US after a landslide victory.

There is little doubt that the US is the mightiest military power in human history. At a time when Australia’s ability to defend itself is at its lowest in one hundred years, we need the US, as our major ally, to retain its superpower status as a deterrent against foreign aggression.

With Trump’s return to the White House, we can rest easy that our enemies will think twice before acting. He will restore morale to the West and give other Western governments an opportunity to restore their faith in Western ideals.

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

And finally, Michael de Percy who – credit where credit is due, was writing his election reaction moments after the result – says that from a national security perspective, Australia has narrowly avoided war with the Trump victory. Certainly, the world’s most powerful leaders are already making nods toward Trump. It’s clear that they take him more seriously than MSM.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Trump’s win means we’ve narrowly avoided war.

Australia’s Nuclear Future: Plan B for our energy needs

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Australia needs to remove the prohibition on nuclear energy before it is too late to catch up

Below are the slides and other details from my presentation entitled 'Australia’s Nuclear Future: Plan B for our energy needs', to the Rotary Club of Crookwell at the Crookwell Services Club on the 5th November 2024.

Through his research, Michael has developed a model to explain networked infrastructure deployment and how technological legacies influence the policy choices available in the future. Based on this model, he will address the challenges to nuclear energy in Australia originating with the antinuclear narrative and the role of the McClelland Royal Commission into British Nuclear Testing in reinforcing this narrative. Michael will then discuss the policy legacies created by the Howard Government’s prohibition of nuclear in 1998, and the policy and infrastructure legacies created by Energy Minister Chris Bowen. He will explain the necessity of a government-controlled nuclear reactor fleet, what that might look like, and the importance of a civilian nuclear industry to support AUKUS. Michael will conclude with a discussion of the absence of a "Plan B" for Australia's energy needs, and the results of renewables-only strategies internationally and what these might mean for Australia’s energy future.

 

References

De Percy, M.A. and Poljak, J. (2022, 5 May). Energy security: Embracing technological neutrality. The Interpreter. Lowy Institute.

De Percy, M.A. (2022, 14 November). Rewire the Nation or go nuclear? The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2023, 15 May). Where’s our energy Plan B, Chris Bowen? The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2023, 24 May). Labor’s coal-fired green dream. The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2023, 23 August). Australia’s ideologically-driven energy crisis. The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2023, 29 October). Coastal wind farms: This Sunday, the people say ‘no’ again. The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 6 January). Bowen's homemade recipe for an energy debacle. The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 20 February). If we're serious about net zero, we need to lift nuclear prohibition. The Canberra Times.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 2 July). No, Mr Bowen, community batteries are not a substitute for nuclear. The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 23 September). Buyer beware as Bowen ‘models’ energy bills again. The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 26 September). Bowen escapes energy scrutiny. Letters to the Editor, Australian Financial Review.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 14 October). Government shows its fear [on nuclear]. Letters to the Editor, Australian Financial Review.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 20 October). It will take more than hot air to fix Labor’s renewables woes. The Spectator Australia.

De Percy, M.A. (2024, 29 October). ACT energy policy faces federal pressure as renewables challenges mount. Energy News Bulletin.

De Percy, M.A. (2024). Australia in the Atomic Age: Menzies’s legacy and nuclear’s potential. In Z. Gorman (Ed.), The Menzies Ascendency: Fortune, Stability, Progress 1954–1961. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

Albo’s flight upgrade saga reflects self-entitlement culture

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I am constantly reminded how the 2020s recall F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920s Jazz Age.

Airport lounges are excluded from Fringe Benefits Tax legislation, and the Chairman’s Lounge is an elite perk that most Australians will never get to experience. Flight upgrades that are gifted to politicians, under current rules, are not an issue if these are declared. But soliciting for benefits such as upgrades for private travel is clearly in breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct established by the Prime Minister in 2022.

Land tax is socialist and should be banned

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Stamp duty is an inefficient tax but it is better than paying a forever tax on your freehold land

Stamp duty makes it more difficult to purchase a home. Not only does it increase the initial outlay required, but it also adds to the strain of meeting stringent savings requirements to secure a mortgage. But make no mistake, a land tax for homeowners is worse. It is effectively rent on what should otherwise be freehold land.

The Morning Double Shot newsletter had this to say:

Michael de Percy is right about state governments’ land taxes: they demand people pay rent on their own land. Land taxes should go, but at the same time the rate of GST, which John Howard and Peter Costello hypothecated to the states in 1998 (in return for abolishing state taxes including land tax) should be upped to 15 per cent, with tied grants to the states slashed to zero – and personal income taxes cut, of course.

The Unfiltered newsletter had this to say:

Land Tax is socialist – get rid of it! What do you think about Land Tax? Michael de Percy makes it pretty clear that he is fed up with the Labor government and that the socialist tax should be scrapped before it does real harm to the concept of private property. He writes, ‘Land tax may be efficient, but land tax is rent. If you must keep paying for the land you own, then it is no longer freehold land.’

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Land tax is socialist and should be banned.

It will take more than hot air to fix Labor’s renewables woes

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The cooling towers at Three Mile Island where Microsoft plans to power its AI and data centres.

The wheels are falling off Mr Bowen’s energy policy as the Albanese government heads downhill like an out-of-control billy cart. Mr Bowen’s energy policy can be summed up as ‘not Mr Dutton’s policy’. That’s the extent of the substance to it, as each day brings more bad news for the 82 per cent renewables charade. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is turning to nuclear to meet future demand.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, 'It will take more than hot air to fix Labor’s renewables woes'.

Predicting the ACT Election Outcome

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Labor will form a minority government with the ACT Greens and probably an independent

It's always risky making predictions. Last night I made a prediction on Sky News Australia's News Night program at 5.00pm and it became a headline immediately. I was lucky this time!

Government shows its fear over nuclear

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A public-funded inquiry to refute nuclear means the Albanese government is afraid

 My latest letter to the editor in the Australian Financial Review: Government shows its fear.

Albo the Appeaser talks out of both sides of his mouth

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Over 110 churches in Canada have allegedly been vandalised or burnt down by arsonists since 2001.

Reflecting on the Conservative Political Action Conference 2024 in Brisbane last weekend, I realised something the left can never comprehend. Surrendering one’s integrity for the greater good doesn’t work. It’s like appeasement. It never works. That’s because the ‘greater good’ is not the end result of collective action, but rather it is the result of the sum of individual actions.

Collectivism is a cop-out. When practised in liberal democracies, which are built on a tradition of individual responsibility, collectivism becomes an excuse for groupthink. Socialism requires every member to be united with the party’s agenda.

Surrendering one’s integrity for the greater good doesn’t work. It’s like appeasement. It never works. That’s because the ‘greater good’ is not the end result of collective action, but rather it is the result of the sum of individual actions.

Writing in Morning Double Shot, Terry Barnes had this to say:

Talking of Pierre’s (sorry, Fidel’s) little boy, Michael de Percy has a few choice words about him, church-burning, and parallels with Mr Albanese and historical appeaser Neville Chamberlain in his latest Flat White piece. At least Chamberlain had the lukewarm excuse of buying time for Britain to re-arm sufficiently to oppose Hitler’s war machine, but what excuse do the Duplicitous Duo have in appeasing certain outspoken small minorities of their electorates?

Writing in Unfiltered, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

Appeasement never works, and yet that is the tactic being pursued by Anthony Albanese when it comes to growing unrest. ‘Australia is not far from following Canada down a dangerous path,’ argues Michael de Percy. While it is true that Trudeau remains one of the worst political leaders around, wouldn’t it be nice if the Liberals started borrowing notes from Canada’s charismatic Opposition Leader? 

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Albo the Appeaser talks out of both sides of his mouth.

Australia must do some of the heavy lifting against terrorism

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Navy ship patrolling the Red Sea, but no Royal Australian Navy ships are there.

It’s time Australia did some of the heavy lifting against international terrorism. Australian domestic politics is dysfunctional. Not since the late 1940s have we been in a situation where the left of Australian politics has been such a threat to our own security.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Australia must do some of the heavy lifting against terrorism.

Bhutan: It's a Dog's Life

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The Tiger's Nest near Paro, Bhutan.

On 2nd October 2024, I delivered a presentation to the University of the Third Age at the Goodwin Village Farrer on my recent visits to Bhutan where I teach leadership as part of a Masters of Business Administration degree. 

My slides from the presentation are below.

Superimposing terrorism onto Aboriginal activism is doing no favours for activists

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Nova Peris has criticised the use of the Aboriginal flag at pro-Palestine marches

The mantra of a terrorist-held regime is being superimposed onto Aboriginal activism. This is connecting domestic policy issues with international terrorism and is doing no favours for Aboriginal activism in Australia.

My comments on Spectator Australia TV.

Bowen escapes energy scrutiny

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Chris Bowen cannot tell us how much his plan costing or if it will keep the lights on

My latest letter to the editor in the Australian Financial Review: Bowen escapes energy scrutiny.

The shame of anti-Israel proponents

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Useful idiots are inadvertently encouraging Iran-backed terrorist groups to attack Israel

Israel’s ingenious pager attack against Hezbollah last week (followed by a second attack targeting walkie-talkies the next day) was not only a clever supply chain infiltration, but one of the most sophisticated, intelligence-driven, surgically targeted strikes executed in modern military history. Shamefully, many anti-Israel proponents condemned Israel rather than condemning the terrorists.

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:
Co-authors Michael de Percy and Sascha Dov Bachmann have drawn attention to the great shame of Westerners who fail to condemn foreign terror regimes or criticise those nations that find themselves fighting and existential fight against them. In a country obsessed with causing offence, hurt feelings, and hate speech – it seems there is a lot of tolerance for terror within the elite veneer of our society.
My latest in The Spectator Australia with Sascha Dov Bachmann, The shame of anti-Israel proponents.

Buyer beware as Bowen ‘models’ energy bills again

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Germany's transition to renewables has led to higher household electricity prices than in Australia

Anyone following Energy Minister Chris Bowen on X would know that Peter Dutton is living rent-free in the minister’s head. Now the Australia Institute and the Teals have joined the fray, all providing opinions on the efficacy of Mr Dutton’s nuclear energy plan.

The trouble is, voters still have no idea how much Mr Bowen’s controversial energy policy will cost or indeed whether it will keep the lights on.

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

More hysteria today from Chris Bowen and the Labor Party at large regarding Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy plans. The amount of effort the left put into screeching about this topic serves as a pretty major hint that this is an election-winning position, if only Dutton can ignore his panicky advisors. Indeed, perhaps they should have a look at the social media comments left on Bowen’s X account, where almost all of the feedback supports Dutton, not Bowen. The rest is from people screeching angrily about how cheap renewable energy has made their bills unaffordable.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Buyer beware as Bowen ‘models’ energy bills again.

The Greens’ housing delusion

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You will have less and you will be happy

There is nothing better than living in your own home. Even with a mortgage, being able to be the king or queen of one’s own castle is part of Australian culture. And even the movie The Castle set aside Australia’s traditionally left-leaning film tropes for long enough to promote the idea of property rights.

The Greens want to take all of that away.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, The Greens’ housing delusion.

Aboriginal activism tarnished by terrorist sympathisers

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The right to use the Aboriginal flag now belongs to all of us, but why use it to support terrorism?

I am concerned that the Greens and other left-wing useful idiots are hurting the cause for Aboriginal activists in Australia. Whether you agree with policy debates or not, these are our domestic issues that affect Australians. But when terrorist sympathisers superimpose the Aboriginal flag over the Palestinian flag and then pelt manure, projectiles, and acid at police and their horses, and chant Aboriginal place names in conjunction with terrorist causes, they've lost me and many others.

I discuss this issue with Alexandra Marshall on Spectator Australia TV's The Week in 60 Minutes below.


Violent peaceful protesters, and other hypocrisies

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The irony of protesting against defensive weapons while supporting the terrorists' cause.

Australians have long watched overseas riots on the telly. ‘Those crazy foreigners, lucky it doesn’t happen here,’ we’d say. Well, those riots are no longer just on the telly, they are happening on Australian soil. Rather than condemning this violent behaviour, the Australian Greens are effectively cheering them on.

Alexander Marshall had this to say in the Unfiltered newsletter:

Michael de Percy and Sascha Dov Bachmann have written jointly regarding the migration of violent, anti-government protests from something they used to watch on TV as kids to a weekly reality on the streets of Australia. No, this is not a good trend that we have imported.

My latest in The Spectator Australia with Sascha Dov Bachmann, Violent peaceful protesters, and other hypocrisies.

The RBA is doing its job, so don’t shoot the messenger

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated the RBA is 'smashing the economy'.

People love to hate the RBA at the moment. Along with unnecessarily high energy and grocery bills, mortgage repayments are ruining our prosperity. There’s no reason for this other than the Albanese government spending other people’s money. Meanwhile, the RBA is the adult in the room.

So, I am surprised that many conservatives are jumping on the RBA-hating bandwagon. This is all Labor’s fault.

Alexandra Marshall wrote in the Unfiltered newsletter:

And look, Michael de Percy said that we must not shoot the messenger about the state of our economy. Yes, the comments made by the RBA did sound a bit like the WEF muttering in front of a microphone, but the RBA doesn’t have a lot to work with.

Terry Barnes wrote in the Morning Double Shot newsletter:

Michael de Percy takes aim at the stoush of the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has started with the Reserve Bank governor he appointed, Michele Bullock. M de P points out the Governor essentially has one job: to do her utmost to keep inflation under control and the economy growing. Like it or not, Bullock is doing that job, in accordance with the Reserve Bank’s statutory charter. But as her prescription is fiscally responsible yet no vote-winner, what does Chalmers do? That’s right, he tips a bucket of the proverbial over the head of his own appointee. Not a gallant way to treat a lady, even if she has the hide of a rhinoceros and the stubbornness of, er, a bullock.

And in The Best of Flat White, Alexandra Marshall wrote:

Also this week, the RBA did not cover themselves in love or adoration by reminding the borderline poor that they might have to make a few more sacrifices – such as selling their homes. Michael de Percy has pointed out that the RBA is doing their job but someone is to blame, is it the Treasurer? The one thing we know for sure is that Australians have woken up to the fact that this is a rich and prosperous country. Someone is getting all the money, and it is not the voting public.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, The RBA is doing its job, so don’t shoot the messenger.

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